Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Beets

I have good friend named Clyde who is the most extraordinary gardener I have ever known. He keeps me in beets. Sunday evening, we went to his place and picked beets and wound up with three 5 gallon buckets of beets – each beet is about the size of an apple. His garden is an awesome sight: potatoes, tomatoes, beets, (we barely made a dent in his crop), corn, peppers, garlic, onions and grapes to name just a few of the things he grows. And do you know why he grows all this?
To give it away.
He has a heart the size of the Louisiana Purchase and he loves to grow things, so he grows this magnificent garden and gives 99 % of it away. His wife likes to keep some of the potatoes.
He has passed this gift for growing things along to his daughter, Kelli (who happens to be a cowgirl friend of mine) and now they trade bedding plants and growing secrets, so between the two of them, I think they might be able to keep the entire Midwestern USA in fresh produce throughout the growing season.
Meanwhile, I will be spending every spare minute of the next few days processing beets. We love pickled beets and I found a recipe for beet relish that I’m going to try.
Joani is going out of town from now until Sunday and her cucumbers have just started to bear, so I will have cukes to pick & pickle for a few days. I appreciate that a lot, because I don’t have room for cucumbers in my little space and I am completely out of my 14 day sweet pickles.
Not only that, but it’s sweet corn season and there is a truck on every other corner selling fresh corn – the good kind that has both white & gold kernels.
Life is good.

6 comments:

Brooke said...

You are very lucky to have someone like him. I spend a lot of money on this stuff in the summer. I had some really good corn last night. I am going to hit the farmers market again this weekend. I love having fresh vegetables and fruit to bad its not all year.

Myrnagj said...

It sounds like Clyde could start a (or has started) a Consumer Sustained Agriculture garden. I get a box every week from a CSA for $52 a month. I love it. There are vegetables I would never have bought that I have come to like and know how to cook.

What luck to get it free.

Sue said...

We get corn from Joe's in-laws and other produce from friends. My mouth starts watering when I think of all the good stuff that only comes for a short time each year. Maybe that's why it tastes so good.
Hay, it is RAINING. Yaaaaay.
Sue

LaDawn said...

I love beets. I'm the only one in my family who does but I don't care. Leaves more for me. I hope the recipe works out and if it does you include it in the Carson cookbook!

Janell said...

Brooke, you might know him as he lives in Blair; last name Rothfuss.
Myrna, tell us more about the stuff you've learned to cook.
Sue that reminds me of a quote i read but I don't recall who said it; "How much more awed we would be by the stars in the sky if they only appeared once a year."
LaDawn; The relish turned out really good; very tangy sweet & sour flavor. I will be including in the Carson book.

stephanie said...

I love beets too. I try to garden but I just don't have the conviction it takes to water and feed all summer long. Oh yeah, and I dont have a garden spot in my yard yet. Hopefully, in a few years I will.